Not unexpected but fight goes on

Published:07:03Saturday 07 February 2015

Is Cllr Mobbs being too complacent in his comments in your paper last week? No, the council’s adoption of the plan is by no means certain to save us from disaster at the Asps, - and at Gallows Hill, and at the Strawberry Field. And, though he may be trying to smooth over our differences with an election due, that can be expected. Does he believe that now the Local Plan has been adopted we should all go away and accept it as a fait accompli? I would be surprised if any of the campaigners against the current Local Plan were expecting any other than last week’s result. So, the fight goes on.

What especially saddens us is that instead of proper consideration of alternatives and in the face of firm evidence, the council has stuck to the doctrine that “there is no alternative”, and has failed to address shortcomings and community concerns.

We look forward to the examination in public when evaluations of any proposals that do not fit the council’s view of the future will not be given short shrift. The plan’s shortcomings will be exposed and a judgement will be passed on whether or not the council properly engaged with its community. One conceivable result is that the plan could be found to be unsound - another setback but one that campaign groups are likely to accept if it results in changes that save Warwick and Leamington from the ruinous consequences of the present plan.